Stocking and process of manufacturing same.



No. 810,095. PATENTED JAN. 16, 1906.

I M. THUS.

STOCKING AND PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING SAME.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22, 1904. 5

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MAX THUS, OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO TEXTILE MACHINE WORKS, OF WYOMISSING, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPO- RATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

STOCKING AND PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING SAME.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MAX THUs, a subject of the German Emperor, residing in the city of Reading, county of Berks, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stockings and Processes of Manufacturing Same, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates particularly to stockings which are knitted throughout of one kind of yarn, the main objects being to produce a comparatively cheap but attractive and serviceable article which will closely resemble in appearance the well-known split foot or white-foot stocking, produced by knitting the lower portion of the foot of a different-colored yarn from that employed for the upper portion of the stocking, and also to produce a one-yarn stocking having a foot portion of increased Wearing quality.

It has heretofore been proposed to make an imitation split-foot stocking by knitting it throughout of yarn of one color and subsequently dyeing the upper portion of the stocking only, the lower portion of the foot being protected from the action of the dyestuff by a clamping means which covers such lower portion during the dyeing operation. This method of manufacture produces a stocking the protected foot portion of which is composed of the same yarn as the upper unsub jected to any treatment adapted to improve its quality, so as to provide for the increased wear to which such foot portion is subjected. Moreover, it is difficult by such method to produce a sharply-defined meetin line between the protected portion of the fabric and the dyed portion, and particularly to produce a figured meeting line such as is produced by the interlocked stitches of the splitfoot stocking, the effect of which figured boundary is to materially improve the appearance of the article. By means of my invention an improved varicolored stocking, knitted of yarn of one color, is produced, the yarn forming the lower foot portion of which is shrunken in the manufacturing process, so as to change its texture and materially improve its wearing quality, the meeting line between the different-colored portions of which is sharply defined in ornamental design, preferably simulating the split-foot interlocking stitch, and the general appear- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 22.1904. Seria1No.2l3,652.

Patented Jan. 16, 1906.

ance of which is ornamental and attractive. My improved process of manufacture, moreover, is not only advantageous because of the improved product resulting, butis so simple, economical, and positive as to be highly satisfactory in operation.

My improved stocking is first knitted in one color and is then treated throughout with the desired dyestuff. The dyestuff employed may either be one of the group known as substantive dyes or of the group known as basic or adjective dyes. I frequently employ the dyestuff known as oxidizingblack, with which the whole stocking is saturated, but the color effect of which is only developed by the combined action of moisture, heat, and air, whereby it is caused to absorb a required portion of oxygen to develop the color. Whatever dyestuff is employed is in my improved process applied throughout to the whole fabric, and the different-colored lower foot portion is produced by subsequently extracting or neutralizing the dyestufi by the application of suitable chemicals adapted to act upon the previouslyapplied dyestuff, so as to extract or neutralize the latter. The chemicals I employ for this purpose are generally alkaline and are adapted at the same time to produce a shrinking effect upon the yarn forming the lower foot portion of the stocking, whereby the texture of such portion is changed, so as to increase the thickness and wearing quality thereof, though this shrinking effect may be produced, as desired, by a treatment separate from the dye extracting or neutralizing treatment. In thus restoring the original color of the foot portion of the stocking I apply the dye extracting or neutralizing agent to the stocking while the latter is stretched upon an interior support or former by means of a stamp or die, upon the surface of which such agent is carried and from which it is delivered to the stretched fabric under pressure, the said agent being thereby applied to the previously-dyed fabric in such a way as to reproduce upon the latter in sharply-defined lines the design formed upon the stamp, which design is preferably similar to that produced by the interlocked stitches of the split-foot stocking.

My improved stocking and process of producing the same are further described in con nection with the accompanying drawings, and the novel features are particularly pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 is an outline view of a stocking knitted of one kind of yarn and dyed uniformly throughout as desired. Fig. 2 indicates the same stocking as finished according to my invention, the board upon which it may be stretched being indicated in dotted lines. Fig. 3 shows a modified finish. Fig. 4 shows the stocking stretched upon a thin board former, the lower foot portion from which the dyestuflt' is extracted or neutralized corresponding with Fig. 3. Fig. 5 indicates a portion of a press-dyeing mechanism which may be employed in carrying out my improved process.

After knitting the stocking of one kind of yarn and dyeing it as a whole I stretch it upon a thin flat board a preparatory to extracting or neutralizing the dyestuff as desired. Different chemical agents may be employed for this purpose, which act upon the dyestuff employed and at the same time affect the fiber of the yarn by shrinking the same, so as to increase the thickness and wearing quality of the portion of the fabric thus treated, as previously referred to. In

the oxidizing process mentioned I neutralize the dyeing agent by means of an alkaline solution, acetate of soda, bisulfid, or the like. I apply such neutralizing agent to the desired portion of the stocking while the latter is stretched upon the board a by means of a stamping-block b of the required shape and design, operated by a reciprocating plunger c in connection with a cushion-bed (1, arranged to serve as a yielding support for the boarded stocking. This cushion-bed, as indicated, is combined with an absorbent pad e for the neutralizing agent and has a limited movement on ways f through suitable mechanism operated in connection with the plunger 0, whereby alternate movements of the stamp I) bring it in contact first with the pad 6 to receive the neutralizing agent and next with the properly-placed stocking on cushion at. Any preferred form of pressing and inking mechanism, however, may

of course be employed. The face of the stamp b has its main portion, which corresponds in shape with the portion of the foot upon which it is intended to solidly deposit the dye-neutralizing agent, adapted to hold a sufficient amount of said agent to properly impregnate the fabric against which the stamp is pressed. This may be accom plished, for instance, by providing said face with numerous slight depressions whereby it is enabled to carry a substantial layer of the liquid or semiliquid agent, the interlocking stitch or other desired design being produced by deeply depressing the adjacent stamp-face, so that such design may stand in clear relief. If it be desired to produce ornamental lines or figures in the portion of the fabric beyond the meeting line of the solidlyeneutralized foot portion, such effect may evidently be obtained in a similar manner in connection with the white-foot efiect. The stamping operation may be varied to most conveniently produce the white-sole and ornamental effects desired. Thus in Fig. 2 the stocking is mounted upon a former a so that onehalf of the white portion, together with the desired ornamental figuring upon the upper, may be produced by one impression of the stamp, the boarded stocking being then reversed for a similar impression upon the other side of the stocking, while in Fig. 4 the stocking is so mounted upon the former as to permit the stamping of the whole of the white-sole portion, as indicated in Fig. 3, by a single impression. In the latter case the top of the toe portion and the heel, as well as the figure effects, may be produced, as in Fig. 2, by separate stamping operations, if desired.

Having thus clearly described my invention and the advantages resulting therefrom, Ido not desire to restrict myself in its application; but

What I claim is 1. A stocking knitted throughout of the same yarn and having a foot portion thereof subsequently shrunken to vary the texture of such portion.

2. A varicolored stocking knitted throughout of the same yarn and having its upper portion dyed and its lower portion undyed and shrunken.

3. A varicolored stocking knitted throughout of the same yarn and thereafter dyed in the whole, the dyestuff being subsequently removed from the lower portion of its foot.

4. A varicolored stocking knitted throughout of the same yarn and thereafter dyed in the whole, the dyestuff being subsequently removed from the lower portion of its foot and such portion being shrunken to vary its texture.

5. A varicolored stocking knitted throughout of the same yarn and thereafter dyed in the whole, the dyestuff being subsequently removed from the lower portion of its foot and the original and dyed colors being intermixed to form a figured meeting line betweenthem. i

6. A varicolored stocking knitted throughout of the same yarn and thereafter dyed in the whole, the dyestuff being subsequently removed from the lower portion of its foot and the original and dyed colors being intermixed to form an interlocking stitch effect at the meeting line.

7. A varicolored stocking knitted throughout of the same yarn and thereafter dyed in the whole, the dyestuff being subsequently removed to provide an undyed foot portion and a figured upper portion.

8. The improved process of manufacturing stockings which consists in knitting the fabric throughout of the same yarn and subsequently shrinking afoot portion only, to vary its texture.

9. The improved process of manufacturing varicolored stockings which consists in knitting the fabriothroughout of the same yarn, dyeing the upper portion, and shrinking the undyed foot portion.

10. The improved process of manufacturing varioolored stockings which consists in knitting the fabric throughout of the same yarn, dyeing the whole fabric, and subsequently removing the dyestuff from the foot portion.

11. The improved process of manufactur ing varicolored stockings which consists in knitting the fabric throughout of the same yarn, dyeing the whole fabric, and subsequently removing the dyestuif from the foot portion and shrinking such portion.

12. The improved process of manufacturing varicolored stockings which consists in .knitting the fabric throughout of the same yarn, dyeing the whole fabric, and subsequently removing thedyestuif solidly from the lower foot portion thereof and brokenly at the meeting line of said lower foot portion to produce an ornamental effect at said meeting line.

13. The improved process of manufacturing varicolored stockings which consists in knitting the fabric throughout of the same yarn, dyeing the whole fabric, and subsequently removing the dyestuff solidly from the lower foot portion thereof and brokenly at the meeting line of said lower foot portion to produce an interlocking stitch effect.

14. The improved process of manufacturing varicolored stockings which consists in knitting the fabric throughout of the same yarn, dyeing the whole fabric, and subsequently removing the dyestuff to produce an undyed foot portion and a figured upper portion.

15. The improved process of manufacturing varicolored stockings which consists in knitting the fabric throughout of the same yarn, impregnating the whole fabric with dyestuff, mounting the fabric upon an interior support and applying a dye-neutralizing agent to the foot portion of the stocking.

16. The improved process of manufacturing varicolored stockings which consists in knitting the fabric throughout of the same yarn, impregnating the whole fabric with oxidizing dyestuff, mounting the fabric upon an interior support, applying a dye-neutralizing agent to the foot portion of the stocking, and thereafter oxidizing the unneutralized dyestuff.

17. The improved process of manufacturing varicolored stockings which consists in knitting the fabric throughout of the same yarn, impregnating the whole fabric with oxidizing dyestuff, mounting the fabric upon an interior support, applying an alkaline dyeneutralizing agent to the foot portion of the stocking, and thereafter oxidizing the unneutralized dyestufl.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

MAX THUS.

Witnesses:

D. M. STEWART, W. G. STEWART. 

